Finding Your Work-Life Balance

Everyone deserves a break now and again. We are all human and we can only complete a certain amount of work before we crash and begin to suffer physically and mentally. This is why it is incredibly crucial for all of us to find a healthy work-life balance which we can maintain through our lives.

It might be that we take a day off work once a month to give us something to look forward to, we stay away from overtime at certain times in the year to spend time with family, or even just switching that laptop off at a reasonable time before we go to bed to give us plenty of time to relax and reset for a good night’s sleep.

It can be difficult to switch off from work when you are trying provide for your family and you are also faced with a huge amount of responsibility- however it is something which we need to do for our own health. If you are wondering how to find your personal work- life balance, read ahead…

Turn off your email

It is just typical on a working day that the moment you decide to call it a day and switch off, you end up getting an email from a colleague asking you to do something. The problem with this is that you end up reading the email, thinking it will be a 5 minute job, and then an hour later you’ve still not switched off. Believe it or not this was a part of work which France has put laws in to stop. No one is allowed to check work emails after 6 pm in France, instead people have to go home, spend time with their loved ones and relax. The idea of this is the idea of knowing when to stop and let work thoughts fade away. If you are constantly doing work, your brain ends up having no room for anything else. This is a huge issue and is one which needs to be addressed. So, take France’s lead and turn off for the evening at 6 pm.

Say no

You might think that the best way to get ahead in your career is to always be available for your employers and to always say yes to every request, however this can increasingly turn into stupid demands until it gets to a point where you are working your butt off for an employer who wants you to pick up their dry cleaning, look after their cat and iron their shirt. It can get to a point where you are walked over to a point that you are essentially a slave.

The only way to combat this is to learn how to say no now and again. If you don’t learn to say no you will always be picked on. The next time your boss asks you to cover a school holiday or an extra day, say no. You might feel guilty but at the end of the day your employer needs to realise that you are a human being and you have your own life, responsibility and family. Don’t feel as if you have to give a reason, because you don’t. You are completely entitled to decline and it won’t reflect badly on you.

Work smarter, not harder

The classic way of thinking is that more work brings in more results. It has been the way people have ran society for hundreds of years, but it is not the absolute truth. In the last 20 years with the rise of computer technology, we have built ourselves new ways to make time consuming tasks much more easy. Such as GetSling for scheduling work, Canva for creating graphic design and Grammar,y for checking the grammar on our content.

We as a species strive to find more efficient ways to complete tasks, and often this will mean finding ways to make them take less time and effort. So while it is true that more work may equal more successful, it does not mean in this day and age that you spend 12 hours in the office. There is an interesting book called the 4 hour workweek which discusses this idea, and it is an intriguing read. You need to realise that our time on this planet is very limited, which is why we need to take the chance to live life to its peak while we can. This means finding ways to work less, be more productive and feel alive. It is much better for us to find ways to make work smarter rather than bend over backwards and work until we can no longer function.

What goes on at work stays at work

This is an important one. Finding the separation between work and home is very possibly the most difficult aspect of your work and life balance. We may sometimes find ourselves looking back and thinking about things we need to do at work even when we are at home with our family. The issue with this nips not allowing the brain to switch off and focus on something else for a while. Once you’ve left work for the day, don’t check your email, don’t look at your phone and don’t think about what you need to do the next day. Have fun in the moment and enjoy the time you have to be yourself.

Forget random tasks

There is a temptation sometimes as we leave work and realise we still need to do something to just sit back down and get it done, but this is precisely what you want to avoid. Once you have finished for the day, don’t think about the things you haven’t quite finished. Your shift has now ended so you can go home and enjoy the company of the people you work so hard to provide for. So what if you haven’t sent that email yet? In a few hours you’ll be back in the office and you can get it done then.

6. Stop trying to be the hero

Although the sense of pride you feel by being able to say it was your work that out the company on the map and made those profits. But to be honest, it isn’t anything compared to your actual life at home. Stop trying to be THAT person and focus on being the hero of your own life instead. It will be much more rewarding than a pat on the back from your manager.

Ease off the adrenaline

Whether you love the rush you get from a run, skydiving or a hard day at work- our body can only handle so much adrenaline so be careful with your body. It will get to a point where you rely on adrenaline so much that you crash without it.

Should you retire?

Some people love work just that bit too much, and it can become such a huge part of your life that you forget how to do anything else. The problem is that eventually you will need to leave work and be free, and you will want to have a few hobbies to keep you busy. Rather than focusing on work for your entertainment needs, think about finding a new hobby you can enjoy. If you don’t have a hobby and you are at work 99% of the time, you may want to consider quitting and pursuing something new. Don’t leave yourself trapped in one place for your whole life.

Don’t be too fast

One of the best tips you will ever receive is this: the first time you do something, don’t do it too fast. This is because every time after that, you will be expected to complete a task in that same amount of time. Take your time, make sure you’ve got it right and enjoy the task. It will mean that your employer doesn’t expect you to do too much when you already have a lot of work on your plate. Manage their expectations of you.

Set your own rules

When it comes down to the final crunch: you are the master of your own life. You cannot take orders from anyone else on how you choose to lead your life. Who you choose to be with and what you choose to do. Make sure that you maintain this level of control throughout the years and let everyone know that you are your own boss.

Manage your own working hours, decide when it is the most convenient for you to complete tasks and when or when not you want to work extra hours for your employer. Make your own work schedule for the week to keep you on track, keep your head held high and make sure that everyone knows you are confident in yourself and your life.

At the end of the day, switch off from work, relax and enjoy the time you have with your loved ones. It doesn’t matter whether you are traveling the world, relaxing in front of the TV or doing nothing at all. Your life is your life: live it, own it, and balance it.

The Man Who Unlocked the Universe Produced by Lola Karimova-Tillyaeva and Timur Tillyaev

The Man Who Unlocked the Universe is a film that narrates the life and work of the great ruler, warrior and astronomer Ulugh Beg, one of the most outstanding minds in astronomy who also had to live an intense and exciting life in all senses.

Ulugh Beg became an enlightened leader of his time and turned Samarkand, the Uzbek city where he lived, into the world’s great science centre 150 years before Galileo discovered the telescope. The film, produced by Lola Karimova-Tillyaeva and Timur Tillyaev, has critical and spectator support and can be found on digital platforms such as iTunes or Amazon.

This film allows the viewer to meet this somewhat unknown genius and delve into his fascinating life from his birth as a prince to his untimely death announced in the stars he loved so much. This film has a rating of 9 out of 10 in IMDB review and undoubtedly has been a tribute to this leader of the medieval era who was a pioneer studying the stars and the universe.

Lola Karimova-Tillyaeva, the Uzbek producer behind this success

The success and production of this exciting film would not have been possible without the bet of Lola Karimova-Tillyaeva, an Uzbek philanthropist well known in her country for her personal commitment to all kinds of charitable work, especially with the most disadvantaged children in her country. A work she is doing with her husband Timur Tillyaev.

This film has been a personal commitment of Lola Karimova-Tillyaeva and Timur Tillyaev. They wanted to make known to the world the figure of one of the most important scientists of Uzbek origin of all time.

Lola Karimova-Tillyaeva served as Uzbekistan’s envoy to UNESCO for more than 10 years and has been President of the Federation of Gymnastics of Uzbekistan from 2005 to March 2018.

Her strong belief in education, culture and sports as key elements in promoting peace and tolerance also encompasses the cultural realm, and therefore her interest in producing the film The Man Who Unlocked the Universe. She understands that education can act as a bridge between different civilizations helping to overcome ignorance and stereotypes.

In any case The Man Who Unlocked the Universe has become an international success and the figure of Ulugh Beg has been put in value thanks to her.

PRAMA, the new revolutionary interactive fitness program taking the wold by storm

This revolutionary new fitness and training method is proving that with the addition of modern technology you really can get amazing results in improving your fitness levels.

The technology used plays a vital role in every training session. This is PRAMA, where you train to the rhythm of music and lights set according to a session programmed to suit you. It add a true sense of fun and achievement. Demand for PRAMA classes are already high as word travels about this new interactive exercise, and it is now the new hot trend in gyms across the US and UK.

This revolution is reaching gyms that are at the forefront of modern fitness, who are adapting their available spaces to cater for this new concept in interactive fitness that combines music, choreography and technology.

But what is PRAMA? The easiest way to describe it is to quote Jennifer Coccia, the Director of Asfalt Fitness in New York, who said that her clients felt as if they were entering a crossover between an arcade game and a playground, “yet getting the best workout of their lives”.

The PRAMA system coordinates music, lights and time and for those who their normal training has become mundane can revitalise that motivation and help them get that joy from working out once again. This is what lies behind the whole concept, bring the fun and party element to fitness, in an immersive, interactive and very motivating experience.

“A crossover between an arcade game and a playground”

The treadmills, static bicycles and all the usual paraphernalia you expect to find in a usual gym are put aside to make way for what seems to be like “a crossover between an arcade game and a playground,” says Marcos Requena, CEO of Pavigym.

But PRAMA is not about improvisation or random workouts. These approaches are not productive for getting the best results. Instead the trainers will push their clients through a series of electrical choreographed workouts, interacting with them through the floor, walls and other areas, to complete a series of exercise circuits with high intensity.

PRAMA is already being spoken about in all the major media, and we are seeing many famous athletes, such as FC Barcelona, Boca Juniors or Nicolás Anelka players have trained using the PRAMA methodology. It is really taking off across cities like New York, London, Paris … all this has only served to increase demand that is exceeding all expectations of the gym directors who have deployed it..

The users of gyms are demanding it because, even though the primary focus of improving fitness and health is still there, because it is provided through a fun concept, it becomes enjoyable for those who previously would have found the work out a real chore. You almost forget you are working out!

What can you expect from the PRAMA experience?

The musical factor is key to the experience, it has long been known that music helps with a workout. PRAMA goes one step further and throws lighting into the mix as well to make it truly immersive. The LEDs work in time to the music and move at the rhythm of those taking part. The walls and the floor are all part of the game.

To give a practical example, those who have spent their childhood playing the Twister from time to time, -the game consisting of putting one foot in the blue circle, one hand in the red one and so on until you can’t do anymore without falling over- can understand a little of what this revolutionary method is about, although in a very simplified way.

Another example is those console dance games carried out at home where you have to follow the choreographed moves, or using a dance mat, is similar and known to be great for fitness and losing weight.

Of course the issue with those examples is that movement is restricted, you can’t stop or pause without the game ending. It is not adaptable to help you achieve fitness goals and it doesn’t help you grow. You can waste a lot of calories stopping and starting.

PRAMA easily adapts to the needs of adults, families, children and athletes

The system is programmed according to each person, be it an elite athlete or a beginner but you can also find programs for children and families. The sessions are 45 minutes and are beneficial for the body and mind, so they can even be rolled out in centers with children with ADHD and other problems, but also can be practiced as a family as a way to improve the time spent together but also improving fitness.

Each 45 minute session can also be ramped up for more intensive workouts, and gives a huge advantage to practitioners of the force program. In this program the floor and walls are complemented by medium to high load accessories, to transition the interactive elements into a more HIIT format that doesn’t work well for everyone.

So there really is a workout intensity for every age group and capability, including an innovative one in which you can play a PRAMA version of basketball, a combination as healthy as addictive, which can only be a good thing when it comes to forming those lifelong fitness habits.

In fact if you know you’re going to the gym, it will make people more inclined to use their membership and actually go, and better attendance means better member retention.

A definitive full body workout suitable for any age and ability, and highly adaptable.

It is not only for losing weight, although results there are pretty good so far with PRAMA, given that it is a system more likely to be stuck with long term. It is also a change to gain strength and agility, and have fun with friends and family.

The ground and walls are sensitive to pressure, and the interactive screens and light combinations that attune to the body’s highs and lows during a workout show just how clever this new system really is.

Miniature painting: how to get started in this addictive hobby

Painting a miniature may seem as easy as pie at first; however, any veteran will tell you that giving color to a miniature figure can be a tedious and painstaking job if you are not truly passionate about it. If you do not have the patience, it is advisable that you look for another hobby or hire a good miniature painting service. But for those who are still determined to enter the world of miniatures, here are some tips that can help you paint those little figures more easily.

Keep your workspace organized and clean

Any artist needs their own studio, so if you are going to embrace the art of miniature painting, you will need your own workspace. And, since we are dealing with small figures, having neat, clean one does not only positively affect your work flow, but the output as well. One of the benefits of having an organized workspace is that it saves a lot of time, because it will take you a lot less time to find a tool from a tidy table than from a messy pile of objects, right?

Watch your posture while you paint

Painting miniatures can be a long and tedious process, which means you will have to sit in your chair for hours. Having a correct posture while painting can avoid possible pains in the body that you may experience after working hours. Try not to stoop much when approaching to look at the miniature. You can solve this problem by using a shorter chair, or bringing the miniature closer to your face when you paint it, but your hands might shake a bit – so be careful there to not ruin the work.

Do previous material research

A great deal of people have lost money by not buying the right materials for their figures. So, before going to the mall to get you all set, make sure to research about the right tools, paints and brushes that you will need. Luckily for our generation, Internet i sour best friend, so all you have to do is to type into your Google search the type of figure you are going to Paint, and you will surely find a forum or web where you can answer all your questions. Just be careful to not let your attention deviate from what you were looking for.

Take care of the lightning

When we paint a miniature, we must artificially simulate the lights / shadows that the light would produce if this miniature were to real scale. And that we can do by color variations, Lights and shadows can produce visual changes in volumes and proportions. For example, if we have a face with wrinkles, we can highlight them more or less by playing with the volumes and thus going from creating a face with small facial marks, to creating a very old, creepy one.

Plus, a correct location and shape of lights and shadows can also give a surface the appearance of being composed of one or another material, since light does not reflect in the same way in a plastic as in a metal. In the case of the Warhammer, for example, the same lighting techniques will not work to paint the classics figures and the 40k ones because, as they are set in different time, the costumes are not supposed to be the same material. If you are not sure about how to manage this yourself, there are also warhammer 40k painting service that you can use.

Get started

Choose a combination of two or three light colors and a dark one as a balance.

Use water to dilute them to make their application easier.

Apply a first black or white layer depending on whether you’ll apply metallic or non-metallic colors later, respectively. To apply this first layer you can use spray paint, airbrushing or a hand brush.

Be patient… And practical

Miniature painting is something that requires patience -a lot of patience, indeed, and it is not enough that you like the theme. For example, in the case of the Warhammer, if you are more interested in playing than in painting itself, it is better not to waste your time and use a warhammer painting service to not get frustrated and be able to focus just on what you really like. But if you are truly interested in doing the painting yourself, don’t despair. It’s not easy at first, but you’ll get better results with time. Even the greatest miniature painters took years to make the works that they exhibit now. You could be the next one.